The Hoplite

A shootout with police in the Ukrainian city of Odessa last Friday left 3 people dead including the shooter. The attack appears to have been carried out using one or more craft-produced firearms. Valentin Doroshenko, a 57 year old man who has been identified in some sources as the shooter, was known locally for his pro-Russia activism, being shown in one photo holding a flag emblazoned with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. He had previously been documented engaging in stunts such as arriving outside the Mayor’s office on horseback to challenge the-then City Head to a duel.

A police officer, 27-year old Sergei Prigarin, died in hospital after sustaining a gunshot to the chest whilst another police officer remains in stable condition after receiving 5 gunshot wounds. Photos released by police appear to show a crude though compact (and evidently functional) improvised sub-machine gun complete with a homemade magazine. The magazine appears to have been welded together from sheet steel and is very crude in design. The gun is also fitted with a makeshift ‘laser pointer’ sight attached. According to online sources, the weapon was loaded with homemade steel-core ammunition which may well have been capable of penetrating police body armour. Two more improvised sub-machine guns, a pistol, and several fragmentation grenades were discovered in a workshop equipped with lathes and welding equipment, located in a disguised cellar of the home of the suspected shooter.

Remember, all arms and munitions are dangerous. Treat all firearms as if they are loaded, and all munitions as if they are live, until you have personally confirmed otherwise. If you do not have specialist knowledge, never assume that arms or munitions are safe to handle until they have been inspected by a subject matter specialist. You should not approach, handle, move, operate, or modify arms and munitions unless explicitly trained to do so. If you encounter any unexploded ordnance (UXO) or explosive remnants of war (ERW), always remember the ‘ARMS’ acronym:

AVOID the areaRECORD all relevant informationMARK the area to warn othersSEEK assistance from the relevant authorities